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A A J. WUSTER. APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING, LIGHTING, AND REGULATING' GAS LAMPS. 7 No. 363,781. Patented May 24, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

JOHANN HEINRICH \Vl lSTER, OF YBBS, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

APPARATUS FOR EXTlNGUiSHING, LIGHTING, AND REGULATING GAS-LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,781, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed August 27, 1886. Serial No. 212,000. (No model.) Patented in England July J1, 1886, No. 9,456,- in Germany August 11, 1886, No. 39,166, and in France August 11, 1886, No. 177,914.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHANN HEINRICH WVUSTER, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Ybbs, in the Province of Lower- Austria, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Lighting, Extinguishing, and Regulating Gas Lamps, (for which Letters Patent have been obtained in Germany under date of August 11, 1886, No. 39,166; in France under date of August ll, 1886, No. 177,914, and in England under date of July 21, 1886, No. 9,456,) and I do hereby declare the followingto be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reterence marked thereon,which form a part of this specification. I

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertieal axial section of my improved automatic gas lighting, extinguishing, and pressure-regulating devices. Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal sections thereof, taken on lines x 00 and y y of Fig. 4 shows a slight modification in the arrangement of the gasinduction and cut-off devices by a vertical axial section. Fig. 5 shows by a like view a modified arrangement of the valve-controlling devices. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detached detail views of the device employed for controlling the movements of the cut-off valve;-and Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional elevations showing further modifications in the arrangement of said controlling devices. Figs. 11 and 12 show in elevation and p roj ection, respectively, the tube L, provided with a grooved guideway.

This invention relates to apparatus for antomatically lighting and extinguishing gaslamps, and with which I have combined an automatic pressureregulator.

The object of the invent-ion is to provide a simple and efficient attachment for gas-burners, more especially adapted for use in streetlamps and the system of public illuminatlon,

whereby the gas may be automatically ignited and extinguished and the pressure at the burner regulated.

To these ends the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the lighting and extinguishing devices, and in the combination therewith of pressure'regulating devices, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and asset forth in the claims.

The apparatus comprises acasiug, O having the general form of twin cylinders in commuuication with each other by an interme diate passage, 0*, said casing being closed at top by a suitable cap or cover, 0, screwed, bolted, or otherwise secured thereto, (as said cap need not necessarily be connected with the casing,) so as to form gas-tight joints.

0 and 0 indicate the two cylinders, the cylinder 0 being of slightly greater diameter than the cylinder 0. They are so constructed as to form annular chambers c 0 around cylindrical bosses or projections B B, respectively, said chambers communicating with each other by an intermediate passage, 0*, above referred to.

To the cap or cover 0 is screwed the burnerpipe 1?", and to said burner-pipe is screwed a coupling, A, in which are formed two passages, a and a.

The main burner bis screwed to coupling A in the end of passage a, and an auxiliary burner, b, is screwed or otherwise secured to a tubular arm, A, extending laterally and vertically. from the coupling A, and constituting the'terininal of the passage a. A flange, a, surrounds said arm A, andon said flange is seated a tubular guard or shield, A, provided with peripheral openings a near its up per end.

a The relative arrangement of the burners b b and the guard or shield A is such that when gas issues from the main burner b it will be ignited by the flame of the auxiliaryburner b, which is kept continually burning, the flame required being a very small one for the purpose in view.

The casing O has a tubular projectiomwhich constitutes the receiving-chamber 0 said project-ion being screw-threaded interiorly for the reception of the correspondingly-threaded end of the gas-pipe in communication with the gasmain, from which pipe the apparatus is supported within the lamp.

I have deemed it unnecessary to show either the pipe from which the apparatus is supported or the lamp itself, as the invention can be readily comprehended without them.

The chamber 0 is in direct communication with the auxiliary burner I) through a pipe, P, that connects the chamber (3 with the passage a. The pipe P is contained within a pipe, I, that connects the main burner b with the gas-supply, as hereinafter described.

The casing O is partially filled with mercury or other suitable non-congealable fiuid to form a luting for the supply and cut-0E valve V and the pressure-regulating valve V. These valves are bell or cup valves, made, preferably, of thin sheet metal, secured to heads H and H, respectively, which heads have a screw-threaded hole for the reception of the valvestems S and S, respectively.

The valves, as shown in Fig. l, are fitted over the bosses B B, and dip into the mercury bath. Each of the bosses B B has an axial cylindrical passage or bore, in which is fitted a tube provided with guide-bearings for the valve-stems, and said passages extend entirely through the casing,the outer ends thereof being screw-threaded interiorly for the reception of flanged plugs D D, by means of which said passages are closed. 7 a a r The tube T, secured in the axial passage of the boss B, has guide-bearings t, through which the valve-stem S of the pressure-regulati ng valve V passes, and in which bearings said stem is free to move vertically.

Below the tube T the passage in which said tube is fitted is enlarged, and forms a conical seat, 8X, for a corresponding valve, 0, connected with the lower end of the valve-stem S by a pivotal connection, preferably by a ball-and-socket joint, j, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the pressure of gas under the cup-valve V exceeds a normal pressure the said valve will be lifted to close, or more or less close, the tube T through the medium of the valve 12.

The passage or bore of the boss B below the cone-valve v isin communication,through port 10, with a horizontal passage, E, through which the gas arrives from thesupply and cutoff valve V, as presently explained.

The normal pressure under which the gas is to be supplied to the main burner is regulated by weighting the valve V by means of diskweight w, as shown in Fig. 1, or in any other suitable manner.

The upper end of the valve-stem S of valve V is squared for the application thereto of a key,wlicreby said stem may be screwed up or down in the valve-head H to adjust the position of the cone-valve v relatively to its seat and relatively to the vertical movement of the pressure-regulating valve V,to give the valve 0 more or less play under given pressures. It is obvious that by means of this arrangement the pressure at which the gas is delivered to the burner b may be kept practically constant, thereby'insuring a steady light and avoiding waste of gas.

In the boss B is formed a vertical passage, 19 Fig. 2, that communicates with the pipe I and supplies the gas from under the valve V to the main burner 12. In the end of the passage E, through which the gas from the supply and cut-off valve V passes to the pressure regulating valve, is screwed a vertical pipe, E, that extends upwardly along the boss B in a recess, b formed in the same nearly to the upper edge of said boss, and the upper end of the pipe is inclosed in an inverted tube or pipe, F, secured to the under side of the valve V, as shown in Fig. 1.

The pipe Fis of such a length as to dipinto the mercury bath when the pressure of the gas falls considerably below the normal pressure, or when it is desired .to cut off the gas from the burner b by lowering the pressure to such an extent that the valve V will not be lifted sufficiently high to carry the lower edge of the pipe F above the level of the mercury.

Inasmuch as the gas supplied to the burner 12 from under the supply and cut-off valve V has to pass through pipe E and passage E before it reaches the pressure-regulating valve, it will be obvious that so long as the pipe F dips into the mercury no gas can pass from valve V to valve V. In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of this arrangement, in which the pipe Fis arranged concentrically with the tube T, the boss B being cored to form an annular-chamber, B which is partially filled with mercury, into which said pipe F dips, the tube.

T being tightly seated in the boss, so that no mercury can flow below the same. In the boss B is formed a vertical passage, B*, that communicates directly with the passage 0, through which the gas is admitted. In this arrangement the gas is not in constant contact with the controlling devices of the valve V, which devices will be presently described.

The receiving chamber 0 communicates with the vertical bore or passage B in boss B by a passage, 0, so that the gas entering G from the main will not only flow to the auxiliary burner 1). directly through the small pipe P and passage a, but also through the large passage 0 to the bore B in boss B. In said bore is fitted a tube, T, similar to the tubeT in the bore of boss B, said tube T being also provided with guide-bearings t for the valvestem S of valve V. The latter valve may also be weighted like the .valve V, to regulate the pressure at which said valve is lifted to allow the gas supplied thereto to flow to the pressure-regulating valve and thence to burner b. This may also be effected by means of a coiled spring, 8, on the lower end of the valve-stem S,

one end of saidspring bearing against the under side of the lower bearing-sleeve, it, while its other end bears upon the upper face of a nut, d, screwed to stem S, by means of which not the tension ofthe spring may be regulated, as will be readily understood.

The valve-stem S of valve V is shown as projecting through the cap or cover 0 of the casing O so that it may be rotated without removing the cover to adjust the valve to difr ferent pressures. This, however, is not absolutely necessary, and said valve stem may be made shorter and its end squared. It will readily be seen that, instead of manipulating the nut to increase or decrease the tension of the spring 8, this may be effected by manipulating the valvestem itself; and as the valve V may require more frequent adjustment than the valve V, I prefer to make the stem thereof of such length as to cause it to project through the cap or cover of the case, as described.

From the description of the arrangement of the valves and the gas-passages from the main to the auxiliary burner and through the valves to the main burner, it will be readily understood that no gas can pass into that space of The casing outside of or surrounding the valves;- hence, as above stated, itis not necessary that the cap or cover 0 should fit gas-tight onto the casing O It will be readily understood that if the sup ply and cutoff valve V is adj ustedso as to be lifted under a given pressure sufficiently high to allow the gas to flow freely to the pressureregnlating valve, and that if said pressure were to decrease considerably from any cause, all the lights connected with the main in which such a reduction in the pressure takes place would be extinguished, since the supply and cut-off valve would fall sufficiently to immerse the lower edge of the pipe F in the mercury, thus cutting off all supply to the main burners b. It is therefore necessary that means should be provided whereby this sinlc ing or falling of the valve under an accidental and material reduction in the pressure in the mains may be effectually prevented, and these means necessarily constitute one of the most important elements of the apparatus, and consequently one of the most important features of my invention.

Various means maybe employed for bold ing the valve V at a given elevation to prevent the tube or pipe F from dipping into the mercury bathas, for instance, any rigid stop may be employed. In this case, however, the extinguishing of thelights could not be effected automatically, as it would require a direct manipulation of the valve to disengage the same from its stop. One part ofmy invention comprehends means for automatically lighting and extinguishing gas lamps, whether the pressure is a normal one or whether the press ure has fallen below a normal pressure from any cause, provided that a given high presshave been lighted; and this consists in relatively increasing and decreasing the pressure of the gas upon the valve to move the same from one point in its course or throw to another or to its scat. This may be effected in various ways, either by providing shiftingbearings at different elevations for the stop of the valve, by which the latter is held against downward movement, said bearings shifting automatically under the pressure of the gas upon the valve to allow said valve to move or fall from a higher to a lower bearing, or by providing rigid bearings at different elevations, and combining therewithashifting-stop connected with the valve and operated by the pressure on said valve.

I will first describe the arrangement of shifting-bearings for controlling the movements of the supply and cutoff valve V, re ferring more particularly to Figs. 1, 6, 7, 8, ll, and 12, the latter showing on an enlarged scale a portion of the tube in which the bearings for the stop of the valve are formed.

A pin, s, passes transversely through the .valve-stem S, about midway of its length, the ends of the pin projecting from opposite sides of said stem, on which is loosely mounted a tube, L, that is held against vertical motion by lhe guide-bearings t t of the tube T; andto reduce the friction between the tube and said bearings as much as possible, the opposite ends of tube L are bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. In the periphery of the tube is formed an irregular slot, M, of a zigzag form, in the formation of which the tube is necessarily severed, the two sections being connected by two straps, L, as shown. The zigzag slot or guideway is so arranged as to form bearing-points intermediate of the extremes of the branches of said guidewaythat is to say, some of the branches of the guideway do not extend downward or upward, as the case may be,as far as other branches, and the latter are so arranged that branches of the same length will be formed at diametrically-opposite points in the periphery of the tube. For instance, if the lamps in a circuit are to be simultaneously lighted and extinguished by one increase in the pressure in the mains for each operation followed by a corresponding reduction in said pressure, then the guide-slot is formed by ,two diametrically-opposite long branches and two diametrically-opposite short branches, the bearing-points of the upper end of said branches lying in the same peripheral plane, as shown in Fig. 6, the tube L making oneeighih of a revolution for each increase and succeeding decrease in the pressure in the operation of lighting and extinguishing the lamps, or one-half of a revolution during the two operations, which are effected as follows,

ure can be produced before and after the lamps pressure, the ends of the pin 8 lying in the IIO upward movement.

bearings Z in the lower end of the longer branches at of the zigzag guide slot or way M. It the lamps are to be lighted, the pressure in the mains is increased above the normal pressure,so as to carry the valve to the limit of its As the valve-stem and pin move upwardly in the branches m to the upper bearings, 2, thereof, the ends of said pin will impinge on the inclined faces of the upper part of said branches at and impart to the tube L one-eighth of a revolution. The pressure in the mains is immediately reduced to the normal pressure, thereby causing the valve V to descend, the pin 8 moving down the branch M of slot M until it reaches the bearings 2. In this downward movement of the valve the tube Lwill again make one-eighth of a revolution. The pipe F is now held at a sufficient elevation above the level of the mercury to allow the gas to flow freely to the pressure-regulating valve, and will remain. in the described position so long as the lamps are lighted. We have therefore one increase above the normal pressure in the mains and a following decrease to the normal or supplypressure to light all the lamps in a circuit. A like increase, followed by a corresponding decrease to or below the normal or supply pressure, will extinguish all the lamps in the circuit, the tube L again making one-quarter of a revolution. It will be seen that upon anincreasein the pressure, which must be sufiicient to carry the valve-pin s from 3 to 4, said valvepin will move from 3 to 4, and by a succeeding decrease said valve will descend until the pin 8 reaches the bearings 5, when the end of the inverted tube F will be immersed in the mercury, and the supply of ,gas to the press ure-regulating valve will be cut off without interfering with the supply of gas to the auxiliary burner. In these movements the pin 8, in riding first up the inclined edge of branch N, will impart to the tube F oneeighth of a revolution, and in its following downward movement said pin will move along the edge of the branch M of guide slot M, thereby imparting another eighth of a revolution to tube F, as above set forth.

From what has been said it will be seen that bothinlightingand extinguishing thelamps,an increase followed immediately by a decrease in the pressure of the gas is required to carry the valve from thelower hearings to the highest bearings and then to an intermediate bearing in lighting and to carry the said valve from said intermediate hearings to the higher bearings and thence to the lower bearings in extinguishing the lamps.

To insure the proper movements of the pin 8 in the guide-slot M, and to prevent its return from one of the branches thereof into branches out of which it has previously moved, I arrange light and flexible leaf-springs L,

th atintersect the branches. The leaf-sp rings are' secured to the edge of one of the branches and bear with their free end upon the opposite edge ofthe adjacent or connecting branch, said free ends lying in the direction of motion of the pin, so that the latter is free to move up one branch or down another, the springs L yielding to the pressure of said pin 5, which latter, however, will be held against backward movement by said free ends of the springs, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

The operation of lighting and extinguishing the lamps may be varied by various constructions of the short and long branches of the guide slot M in the periphery of the tube L as, for instance, by twiceincreasing the pressure from a minimum to a maximum pressure for each operation. Such an arrangement I have shown in Fig. 7, where the pin 8, under the first or supply pressure will move from '1 to 2, and under the next decrease from 2 to 3. Under the next or second increase in the press ure the pin will move from 3 to 4, and under the next or second reduction in the pressure the pin will move from 4 to 5. Under the third increase in the pressure the pin will move from 5 to 6. and, finally, said pin, under the last reduction in pressure, will move from 6 to 7.

Another different arrangementofguide-slots is shown in Fig. 8, which will be readily understood from what has been said above. It is obvious that the described arrangement of controlling devices may be variously modified and yet produce the same result. For instance, the tube L may be rotatably connected with the hell or cup valve V, so as to perform the function ofvalve-stem, and a stationary rod provided with the cross-pin may be arranged within the tube L, and thus produce the same results; or the tube L may be rigidly secured in tube T, and the valve-stem S may be rotatably connected with the valve V, as shown in Fig. 5. A stillfurther modification of the an rangement of the controlling devices is shown in Figs. 9 and 10, in which a compound valvestem, S, is employed. Said valve-stem is composed of three sections, S S S, the section S being rigidly secured to the valve Vand connected to section S by a yoke or frame, K, provided with screw-threaded openings, in which the ends of' the sections S S* are screwed.

-As shown, the said ends terminate in a cone,

s and lit in cone-bearings 8, formed in the opposite ends of section S of the valve-stem way for the pin may be formed by grooves in the inner periphery of the tube, such grooves being formed by means of dies, or in any other suitable manner, so as to properly guide and control the movement of the valve V, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

From what has been said it will be seen that all the lamps supplied from one and the same source may be automatically lighted and ex- IlO tinguished, no matter what the pressure may be in the mains, provided the initialpressure is sufficient to lift the valve V, to establish communication between it and the burner, and provided that when the lamps are to be extinguished said initial pressure can be restored in the mains.

Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of the said invention, I' declare that what I claim is 1. The combination, with a gas-burner, of automatic extinguishing devices comprising a valve-casing, a supply-duet therein connected with the burner, a bell or cup valve operated by. the pressure of the gas and carrying an inverted pipe fitting loosely over the supplyduct, a pin or lug projecting from opposite sides of the valve stem, a liquid seal for the valve and its inverted pipe, and a tube in closing the valve-stem and having a' zigzag guide groove or slot formed in its periphery, into which the ends of the pin project, said groove or slot having long and short branches, the ends of which form bearings for the pin to support the valve and inverted pipe at different elevations relatively to the 'liquid seal, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a gasburner, of

automatic lighting'and extinguishing devices comprising an auxiliary burner, avalve-casing provided with an inlet-duct for the gas from the main, a duct connected therewith and with the auxiliary burner to supply the same directly from the main, 2.- separate duct for the main bur-ner,abell or cup valve operated by the pressure of the gas and carrying an inverted pipe fitting loosely over the main burner-duct, a pin or lug projecting from opposite sides of the valve-stem, a liquid seal for the valve and its inverted pipe, and a tube inelosing the valvestem, provided with a zigzag guideway in its periphery, having long and short branches to support the valve and its inverted pipe at different elevations relatively to the liquid seal, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a gasburner, of extinguishing devices comprising a valve-casing, a supply passage or pipe therein, a bell or cup valve operated by the pressure of the gas and carrying an inverted pipe fitting loosely over the supply-passage, a valve-stem composed of three sections, of which the intermediate section is revoluble between the extreme sections, a pin or l'ug projecting from opposite sides of the revoluble section of the valve-stem, a luting or liquid seal for the valves and inverted pipe carried thereby, and a controlling device consisting of a tube having in its periphery a zigzag guideway, into which the ends of the pin project, said guideway having long and short branches, the ends of which form bearings for the pin to support the valve and its inverted pipe'at different elevations relatively to the liquid seal, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with a gasburner, of automatic extinguishing devices comprising a over the inlet end of the burner -pipe, said valve having astem provided with a pin, 8, arranged withinthe axial gas-duct of the boss, and a tube, L, on the valve-'stemrprovided with a zigzag guide groove or slot M in 1ts periphery, into which the ends of the pin 8 project, said guide groove or slot having long and short branches, the ends of which form bearings for the ends of said pin s,substantially as described, for the purpose specified. 5. The combination, with thegas -burner, the valve-casing, a boss projecting vertically from the bottom thereof and having an axial gas-duct communicating with the casing and the gas-main, and the supply-pipe for the burner extending alongside the boss,of a bellvalve and a short pipe, F, secured thereto,inverted over the boss and the end of the burnerpipe, respectively, the valve-stem S,provided with a cross-pin, 8, said valve-stem sliding in bearings t in the axial duct of the boss, atube surrounding the valve-stem provided with a zigzag peripheral guide groove or slot,M,into which the ends of the pin 8 project, and the spring 8 on the lower end of said valve stem, said spring abutting againstthe lower bearing of the valve-stem, and a nut secured to said stem, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination,with a main burner and an auxiliaryburner,avalve-casing havingagasduct to admit the gas from the main, a supply- ,pipe connected with the said duct and auxiliary burner extending axially through the casing, a supply-pipe for the main burner con- Ifo centric with the auxiliary burner-pipe, the

bosses B B,projecting from the bottom of the casing, each having an axial gas-duct opening at one end into the casing and connected at the other with the inlet-duct connected with the n1ain,and with a branch duct, E, extending along the boss B, respectively,said boss B having a passage formed therein,eom mu nicat ing with the main burner supply-pipe, said bosses being arranged relatively to the walls of the casing to form acell for a sealing-liquid around them, of the valve V, the pipe F, secured thereto and inverted over the boss B and end of the branch duct E, respectively, the

having stem S, extending into said duct, said erating substantially as and for the purpose to stem being composed of two rigid sections specified.

connected by a yoke, K, and a revoluble In testimony whereof Iaffi X my signature in section, 8 stepped on the rigid sections prol presence of two witnesses.

vided with a cross-pin, s, and the tube L, T T y surrounding the revoluble sections of the JOHALN HEINRICH valvestem and provided with azig'zag guidegroove, M, into which the ends of the pin project, said parts being constructed and op- Witnesses:'

' O'r'ro MAASS,

EDMUND J UssEN, Jr. 

